Delays up 50%
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at Felixstowe
• Driver complaints about delays at Felixstowe are continuing, despite last month's installation of new working practices at the port.
Company driver Fred Gathercole says last week he spent 13 hours waiting at the dock, making an average of around three hours for each turnround. He calls Felixstowe the "worst dock in the country for drivers", adding that management promises over the years have never brought satisfactory improvements in waiting time.
A spokesman for Felixstowe (Europe's fourth largest container port) says the average turnround time for hauliers has increased this year from 30 minutes to 45 minutes with most problems occurring between the peak time of mid-afternoon to early evening.
But he adds: "We will soon be ordering six more container cranes worth around £5m and we are currently recruiting another 150 staff. We are working hard to improve the situation." Felixstowe already has 69 cranes and a workforce of 1,850.